


Lights Out (Darkness)

by blindtaleteller



Series: Platovember Prompts 2020 [9]
Category: Iron Man (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies), Thor (Movies)
Genre: Acceptance, Angst, Cuddling & Snuggling, Emotional Baggage, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Gen, Platovember 2020, Self-Acceptance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-12
Updated: 2020-11-12
Packaged: 2021-03-10 06:28:22
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,237
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27530005
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/blindtaleteller/pseuds/blindtaleteller
Summary: After managing to get Loki back to Malibu, Tony starts showing him around the place; or what's left of it after the whole Mandarin mess. A Dummy-induced mess reminds Tony he hasn't re-installed the emergency lighting in what's left of the garage yet though; and Loki seems intent on testing Tony's patience and willpower in the resulting dark..
Relationships: platonic - Relationship
Series: Platovember Prompts 2020 [9]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1999015
Kudos: 4
Collections: Frostiron (loki/tony), Loki, Platonic Relationships, Prompted Writing





	Lights Out (Darkness)

**Author's Note:**

> This one comes from Door 8's Loke/Lolo and Charmer.
> 
> Initially I only had this one as a brief and messy outline for one of the Chapter One or Chapter Two sections. I thought about putting it as a Bonus Track for Two, but with as hectic as that Chapter was, left off it; and the other two for that section involving his arms and the boat ride especially: in part because I had done that very important boat scene in DREAMS in another way with Lau and felt it was too much to throw it in again so soon with GROUNDED.
> 
> I find Lolo and Charmer's early partnership and relationship interesting as the muses present it to me for GROUNDED. Constantly holding each other at arms length, while clinging on. Too much pride, and too much vulnerability they both protect with it. And at the same time the recognition of how similar they are there, manages to build and bind them together pretty quickly when they end up on the same side.
> 
> Tiny moments like this, bubbling up out of nothing; really define them well. At least I think so.

  * IDENTIFY LOCATION: CHARMER - DIMENSIONAL IDENTIFICATION CONFIMED : HVRA0616-9H-08
  * \---INTER-UNIVERSAL DOORWAY ENTRY POINT H8 : OBSERVATIONAL STATUS - TVA INTERFERENCE : _NOT DETECTED_
  * \----MIDGARD NORTHERN HEMISPHERE : NORTH AMERICAN CONTINENT : CONTROLLED SUBURBAN AREA DETECTED - VISITATION CAUTIONS _REVOKED_ : MALIBU, CALIFORNIA
  * \------KNOWN DOMESTIC TIME VARIANCE : 2:54 AM US PST



**-=\\\L i g h t s O u t//=-**

" That's _not,_ the switch. "

" _Yeah;_ I figured that out..." had Tony cursing to himself and a little glad Lo couldn't see his face this far from the emergency lighting. Because it was probably red as a beet for what he was pretty sure he had grabbed instead, in the attempt.

" And that's, my bloody _ear._ "

" ..I was trying to keep my balance okay? I can't see.. that's, the point.. " and the side of his neck. Which, the slip resulting had him gripping so he wouldn't slip any farther than he already had. Tony was once again, instantly jealous of the man's hair when it was free of product. Soft and fine in thick at his scalp and the base of his neck to the point of almost being slippery at his fingertips.No wonder he was always knotting it too: felt like it was trying to slither itself right out of the hair tie he triple-twisted the messy loop of it into at the back of his head, all on it's own. " ..hang on. I felt it just, a second ago. "

" Can't your _Jarvis_ manage this? " and yeah he could but " Like _I said,_ he's working on it but it'll be ten to fifteen minutes at the earliest.. " which had Lo sighing again at him. And deeper for a second sigh when Tony's sneakers just ended up slipping again and grabbing onto the dark haired sort-of Asgardian for dear life on the next attempt for the master switch behind him. **_Why_** had he put that thing so damn far back from the workbench again?

_Oh right._ The _same_ reason there was currently three gallons of oil on the floor of his half reconstructed garage. One of the curses slipped out as he ended up with his face pressed almost dead center of Loki's pecs with his fingers dug at the death grip to the back of the ridiculous not-a-shirt Odin's cronies had stuffed him into after what they'd done to his arms. Followed by a few more realizing the guy currently smelled like a freshly opened can of peppermints at the moment. Damn Pepper for leaving the tea tree shampoo in Malibu. He loved that smell.

" ..fucking _ancient_ piece of -- _also shitty fucking fantasy squad dick holes **plus** the_\-- " the snort above his head only flustered him and made his temper crackle a little more " You're gonna end up _scrap metal_ when the lights come on Dummy! " managing to do only one thing, and that was make Loki laugh at him in the dark. Or maybe it was the situation. Or as his breath calmed down and the laugh kept going it was the fact he was once again throwing empty threats at a piece of machinery he'd made himself and could admit Lo was not wrong when he said he treated Dummy like a semi-intelligent puppy. With thumbs.

And also the reminder both internal from his own quick brain and verbally from the equally fast mouth of the alien prince currently solidly seated on his workbench as a very solid anchor keeping Tony upright; and the fact the laugh was still in his voice when Loki said " ..you told me _you_ bloody well programmed him... " had Tony just sighing into the overly warm man-cleavage and giving in with a " ..gonna _de-program him_ after this. " pushed out in frustration against Loki's very warm skin that both of them knew wasn't going to actually amount to anything. As it was he could hear Dummy trying really hard to clean up the mess he'd made about eight feet out of his reach from where he was trying really hard not to move too much and end up breaking his neck on the workbench top.

And probably spreading it more evenly over the floor with his track-wheels but. _Yeah._ Tony knew he'd never make good on any of it. And apparently so did Loki already at this stage. Almost two minutes passed without a word, which wasn't so odd for them actually. Back in Asgard there was a lot of conversation and joking around --especially around his mom when she joined them-- and especially around the chessboard, whether they were playing actual chess or playing for if not with some of the candy Tony had just kind of tossed into his suitcase on a whim.

Something about this guy from day one after the Tower, made him feel like he was a kid again. Or at least a teenager bouncing back and forth between too much energy and the need to pipe down, chill and recharge at leisure in his presence. The reach and tug that pulled him out of the half-splits uncomfortable below the waist position just the moment he was thinking about it only helped punctuate the thought as his feet found a place closer together and Lo guided his chin over his shoulder when he brought up one hand to hook him there. It took him a few seconds to realize. " ..I'd think that would hurt.Pulling me up like that. "

And a lot less time to get annoyed when he said " Did, briefly. It's fine now, I assure you. " and had him moving again in a brief fit that had forgotten why he had to be tugged in the first place and sliding back into the split position on another curse before he just yanked him up again. Now that he knew those fucking holes in his arms were still hurting for sure; and he was still yanking him up to a mostly standing position with them, it only agitated Stark more. " _Stay still,_ or I'm going to have to _keep_ doing that. " 

" No one's _making you_ pull me up! "

" _**You** are, every time_ you nibble and rub your damned whiskers at my bloody chest when you talk. _Stop_ moving. " sort of chucked Tony's brain out the nearest sealed up window for a few seconds, because he hadn't been thinking about that and; it was a weird enough thing to consider. Quiet again, both of them a little agitated; and well. Okay. " I guess we'll wait then. " got a sigh and the affirmative " _Mm._ " that said Stark had been being stubborn again and Loki had been indulging him up to that point. And damn it if that didn't always make it weirder, and tamp down half his agitation.

" Why do you put up with me like that. " didn't get an answer right away. And honestly, he didn't know what his own answer for that would be if it was turned back around on him, much less have the slightest what he was expecting to hear either. But it was out of his mouth already.

" Because you need _someone_ to. " was definitely not on the list of possibilities, though " And my debts in your direction are large enough without letting you crack your head on the cement and having the temptation of doing the same to myself in an attempt to tend you if you _did._ "

He couldn't help his stupid mouth either. " _ **Wait.**_ _You_ gots a _conscience,_ sir? " got him a knuckle to the ribs that made him groan and chuckle all at once before the obvious answer Tony already half knew by this point was loose over his shoulder alongside his ear in exasperation. " Apparently yes, to your chagrin. "

" Just mine, _huh?_ " had the blue-green-grey eyed monster snorting over his shoulder and settling his chin on Tony's shoulder before he said. " ..I can only take responsibility for the plan to get me out. The rest was and from here will be all you, Stark. So yes. _Your_ , chagrin. "

Except, as much as Tony wanted to say he couldn't argue with that; damned if he didn't want to anyways. Because he went to college. Learned the word in middle school. Knew what it meant. And: " ...you know what. _No._ " it made him want to and try moving again. Which was stupid, because it put him right back to cursing under Loki's clavicle. " **No!** " was a clearer objection, and a little angry at ... well _everything,_ thinking about it and recognizing the extra breath in when he yanked him right back up for the pain in his arms it represented. " Not _my_ chagrin. And not _yours_ either, _screw **that.**_ "

" Anthony-- " had Tony growling before he cut him off; quick and annoyed at the word and not leaving room for an interruption of Loki's own. " Not, chagrin.There's no distress or humiliation or embarrassment in anything I've done to this point. SHORT _OF!_ " he had to almost bark that to keep him from wedging one in there anyway. " Short of, letting Dummy run around inside the yellow lines 'cause I was getting impatient, and knock over a partial five gallon bucket of machine oil; _no._ And I haven't fucking failed yet especially. And _neither did you_ last I looked. No chagrin, _here;_ pal. "

Quiet, and then the words he really had hoped he hadn't seen coming in the dark. " And when the others, or the _rest_ of your world find out you've aided and are _still abetting_ me not only in escaping my sentence, but continuing my previous work? " had Tony sucking a slow, exasperated breath through his nostrils. Because, okay and _yeah;_ he had a point in that he hadn't been thinking that far ahead himself. And that little piece of distrust was still there for Lo to nudge at and wiggle around in it's place.

Thing was, though?

He knew it was there. And at this point Tony knew he knew it was there; and Loki still put his finger on the point when he asked questions like that and wiggled it around like he was.. what was the point of that? Trying to make Stark doubt him? Before he'd have taken that at face value and run with it and shot something ignorantly stupid and just plain mean right back over his shoulder at him. Was _that_ it?

Was he still trying him out, testing to see if this was real? Loki, of all people; testing to see if Stark was being honest? It made Tony's breath huff all over again, not because he was wrong or didn't understand it; but because he was right on some level and he saw the old goat in it: and it pissed him off the guy could see so clearly right into every little flaw and vulnerability like Stark was made of glass and water instead of sterner stuff. And because... _because_.

Because look where they had been. Look what he had seen in that dungeon and getting him out of it. And look, at where he was.

Propped up and yanked up from breaking his own neck in the pitch black of his half rebuilt garage by a the guy who had dropped him off a seventy story building. Kept on his feet and head tucked over his shoulder forced to trust his better eyesight in the dark, waiting for the lights to come on cause he couldn't see. Relying on him, again; to know where they were and what the hell they were doing. Pulled the air out of his bones, never mind his lungs; realizing he already threw in: already trusted the crazy, funny, ridiculously smart and manipulative asshole he was tucked against enough to come to the following: " I chose this. "

" And I maintain, you should regret it. " still pissed him off, for how quiet and calm he was when he said shit like that. No shift in breath, no grip, no nothing. And it made him want to have the balance to punch him in place of the first face that came to mind, like Tony knew exactly where it came from.

Because he did. " No. " And screw the old goat that'd put holes through anyone's arms, for any reason, and look him in the eye and say in too many words it was for anyone's protection and therefor okay and passable and even remotely close to anything close to care for others, never mind his own kid. " I'm not gonna regret any of this; if you keep your word. Unless you're saying you're backing out on me? "

A long breath out, nope. Tony knew the answer. " Well? " And needed to hear him say it out loud again anyway. " _**Are** you..?_ "

" No. "

" No chagrin then. _Fuck **that.**_ Your old man can _suck it;_ and so can _anybody_ else what comes near my door trying to make that word a thing 'cause you're here. " and he was quiet, and Lo was quiet; and he ended up just .. getting comfortable right where he was. The lights clicked on a minute later.

Tony wasn't surprised, and didn't have a single complaint; when Loki reached back without even looking, hit the master switch; and shut them off again. " _...bastard._ "

" _Oh, shut up._ " as quiet and close to cracking as it was wasn't a surprise either.

Anthony wasn't reaching for it again. He got it.

_He'd let **that** pain get lost in the dark, too._

_As far away in the deep of it as it needs to go._


End file.
